Garoppolo relishing opportunity to start Patriots' preseason finale

Rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo figures to get a prolonged look against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

FOXBORO – He entered the Patriots’ locker room at Gillette Stadium shortly after noon on Monday, an Eastern Illinois backpack strapped to his back.

Come Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, Jimmy Garoppolo may be carrying the Patriots’ offense on his back.

“I’m excited about it,” the rookie quarterback answered when asked his reaction to the word (initially reported by ESPN) that he will start Thursday night’s preseason finale with the New York Giants. “It’s a good opportunity to get out there and get some quality reps, so it’s going to be fun.”

The second-round pick sure has grown in a month’s time.

It wasn’t all that long ago when punishment laps were daily rituals for Garoppolo, who in fact suffered the indignity for miscues three days in a row during the opening week of training camp.

Welcome to the NFL, kid.

Come game day, though, Garoppolo has consistently thrived, his improvement beginning when he easily outperformed veteran backup Ryan Mallett in the Patriots’ 23-6 preseason-opening loss to the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field.

Connecting on 9-of-13 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions, Garoppolo compiled a passer rating of 135.7 – not bad considering it was not only the first NFL game in which he’d played, it was the first NFL game he’d ever seen.

“That was a big building block, going from there,” said Garoppolo, who has gone 15 for 24 for 177 yards and three TDs with no interceptions in the two preseason games since. “It’s one of those things (where) you’re going to have your ups and downs being a rookie. That’s just part of the game. You have to just keep gradually improving day in and day out and if you keep doing that as a rookie that’s all you can ask for.”

Garoppolo’s success has fueled speculation that the Patriots will now have an “asking price” for Mallett, the feeling being that they may look to deal the fourth-year player prior to Saturday’s final cuts to the regular-season roster limit of 53, a scenario that would move the Ohio Valley Conference’s all-time leading passer into the No. 2 role behind Tom Brady.

For his part, Garoppolo believes he’s in a fourth-and-long situation; it’s the fourth game of his first NFL preaseson and he’s got a long way to go.

“I’m still a rookie so I have a long way to go, a lot to learn still,” he said. “That playbook is pretty thick. It’s one of those things that if you keep learning day in and day out, you’re on the right track.”

Thursday night should present Garoppolo with a major opportunity to apply what he says he was practicing even when he was suffering the humiliation of having to run those punishment laps.

“I came in with the mindset that I’m going to practice and study as if I was the starter,” said Garoppolo, “and if you’re to be a successful player in this league, you have to take the mental reps, the physical reps and take advantage of your opportunities.”

Glen Farley may be reached at gfarley@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GFarley_ent